Work and cancer in the Nordic countries (NOCCA)

Project coordinator Eero Pukkala

Main coworkers Lotti Barlow, EPC Center for Epidemiology, Stockholm; Paolo Boffetta, IARC, Lyon; Holmfridur Gunnarsdottír and Víðir Kristjánsson, Administration of Occupational Safety & Health, Reykjavik; Kristina Kjærheim, Tor Haldorsen, Jan Ivar Martinsen and Elisabete Weiderpass Vainio, Norwegian Cancer Registry, Oslo; Johnni Hansen, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen; Timo Kauppinen and Pirjo Heikkilä, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki; Kaare Lenvik and Torill Woldbæk, Statens Arbeidsmiljoinstitutt, Oslo; Elsebeth Lynge, University of Copenhagen; Pär Sparén and Nils Plato, Karolinska sjukhuset, Stockholm; Laufey Tryggvadottír, Icelandic Cancer Registry, Reykjavik

Earlier analysis of census-derived job titles and cancer registry data from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden has represented a successful and efficient approach to produce important results on occupational cancer. The large data and reliable information on occupation allowed identification of risk occupations even in rare cancers (see graph on the right). In the ongoing study entitled Changing work life and cancer risk in the Nordic countries, (or Nordic Occupational Cancer, NOCCA), all Nordic residents will be characterised with estimated cumulative life-long exposure to about 30 occupational work-related agents. The combined data of about 4 million cancer cases, 10-1000 times more than in any of the earlier important surveys on occupational cancers.

NOCCA epidemiology team in its work meeting (February 2005, Hafjell); the licorice pipes demonstrate that also smoking at work will be considered as work-related hazard.

Exposure to known and suspected carcinogens and other work-related hazards such as work stress, shift work, lack of physical activity and reduced/postponed  parity do to career planning can be estimated via the application of a job-exposure matrix. Nordic job-exposure matrix will be based on the national matrix developed in Finland, FINJEM.

Using this matrix, the cancer risks attributable to the occupation-related hazards an changes in the work-related risks over a period of three or four decades can be calculated in a dose-response manner for the entire Nordic population. We will especially focus on women, who today consist a large fraction of economically active work-force but whose occupational hazards have been rarely studied.

See also http://www.ncu.nu/report/default.shtml, NCU Annual Report 2004, pages 10-13.

NOCCA job exposure matrix team in its work meeting
(August 2005, Hirvihaara)

Study protocol